Wonoona man John Elliott left woman ‘terrified’ after alleged sexual comments
John Miller Elliott was arrested and charged with common assault and intimidation on August 26, after following a woman for 15 minutes and allegedly making several sexual comments towards her.
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An Illawarra man has been refused bail after allegedly making several sexual and inappropriate comments to a woman, leaving her feeling “terrified” and “sick to her stomach”.
John Miller Elliott was arrested and charged with common assault and intimidation on August 26, after allegedly telling a woman he met on a Woonona train platform that he was going to “touch himself while thinking about her” and asking her about the size of her breasts.
According to police facts tendered to Wollongong Local Court on August 27, police will allege Elliott began following the woman after they both got off a train at Woonona on Monday afternoon.
After the woman asked for directions to a nearby building, police will allege Elliott started telling the woman that he “was not wearing any underwear” and that he slept naked, all the while claiming he used to be a be a bodybuilder.
The woman tried to walk away from the 48-year-old but he continued to stand close by her, allegedly making sexual comments about her breasts.
Police facts said the comments allegedly made by Elliott made the victim feel very uncomfortable, causing her to feel “instantly sick in the stomach”.
The woman began walking away from Elliott in an attempt to find a safe place to run to, fearing he was going to grab her and take her into a nearby park on Mitchell Road.
Police facts allege Elliott continued to follow the woman, making further sexualised comments about his own genitalia, and again questioning the size of her breasts.
A witness driving by saw Elliott speaking to the woman and took a photo, fearing something “was not right”.
At this point the Elliott allegedly told the woman, “I’ll go home right now and think of you. I’m going to [touch] myself to you, I might even do it twice.”
Police will allege Elliott then asked the woman for a hug. The woman initially refused, but terrified Elliot would continue to follow her, agreed.
The witness drove into a nearby driveway and asked the woman whether she knew Elliott. Police facts tendered to the court said the woman looked directly at the witness “and shook her head in distress” before running to the driver’s side of the vehicle.
The woman told the witness she was scared, before running to safety in a nearby building.
Police later arrested Elliott at his Woonona home and charged him at Wollongong Police Station.
During his appearance in Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday, his defence lawyer argued his client believed he had been targeted by the Woonona community.
“Mr Elliott denies the allegations,” he said. “He has been the target of abuse online and therefore people are very aware of him,” he said
Prosecutor James Sala opposed Elliott’s application for release noting he was well-known to police, with prior convictions relating to intimidation, offensive behaviour assault obscene exposure and acts of indecency.
Magistrate David Degnan said the fact Elliott was on conditional bail at the time of the alleged offences aggravated the situation.
“The allegations before me are certainly concerning,” he said.
“He has [allegedly] followed her from the Woonona train station and engaged in a completely inappropriate conversation.”
Magistrate Degnan refused Elliott’s application for bail and he will remain in custody until his next court appearance in October.
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